2003 (TU)

Contents

The "true history" philosophical movement, which considers itself "a view of reality as actually real," takes form as a reaction against the excesses of postmodernism. Toren Cargill quickly becomes one of its leading lights.[1]

In response to LA's ever-increasing population and traffic congestion, Mayor Daniel Montoya divides the city into twelve different time zones, each with different mandated work hours. The system is unique in the world, but appears to be working.[2]

An accident at a drilling site in the North Sea results in a fire which would have caused an environmental catastrophe, had DeVriesnovas not been there to contain the fire and prevent crude oil from spilling into the water. ExxonMobil uses the incident as proof of responsible corporate citizenship.[11]

January 1: The N! channel debuts on cable and satellite systems in 47 countries. A spinoff of the E! channel, N! is dedicated solely to the activities of novas. Among other features, it includes biographies of popular novas, quasi-scientific explorations of nova abilities and physiology, nova sports, and nova-related news from around the world. By April, N! becomes the highest-rated channel ever.[15]

March 5: In an N! intra-departmental memo from Geoffrey Gold, VP of Programming, to Anne Binghamton, Director of Programming, Gold asks Birmingham to have a lot more action-oriented shows for the next season, and fewer "chick shows."[17]

March 9: Team Tomorrow stages a dramatic rescue of the space shuttle Discovery after it is struck by a sizable meteor. The strike knocks the shuttle off-course and ignites an oxygen tank. The entire crew survives. This event marks the point at which governments begin to consider novas for space operations and exploration.[15][18][19]

April 11: Hugo Pinella, bodyguard to Luciano Camparelli, writes in his diary that he's bitter about having to write a diary at all, but Mr. C told him to do what the doctor said, since it'll help him figure out what's going on in Pinella's head since he erupted.[21]

May 6: Project Utopia announces plans to terraform the Ethiopian Highlands. The project, a cooperative venture between Project Utopia, the UN and the Ethiopian government, marks the first attempt at engineering widespread geographical and environmental changes within a region.[15] The project is known alternately as Project Abyssinia[22] and Operation Eden.[23]

June 6: An internal Department of Defense memo details the conclusion of several DOD scientists: in short, novas can potentially do literally anything imaginable. Regrettably, as a nova increases in power, the M-R node grows, impinging on the frontal lobe. This leads to less mental stability and even personality disorders. The memo closes with: "The last thing we need is a bunch of psychos with the power of gods...."[26]

September 25: A terrorist organization sets off an explosion in São Paulo using primitive fusion technology. Over 30 city blocks are levelled, and hundreds are killed. Team Tomorrow Americas arrives immediately to supply aid and assist in the investigation. Despite repeated reports of nova involvement in the bombing, no one has to date been charged. It is the most expensive attack in history, causing an estimated $20 billion in damage.[15][29]

October 7: The Triton Foundation announces the discovery of a vaccine for AIDS. The World Health Organization declares October 7 "Red Ribbon Day" and, with the help of health organizations on the national and local levels, vaccinates 90% of the world population by the end of the year.[15]